


(I don't wanna be your friend) I wanna kiss your lips

by spacedao



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Clown to Kinda smart clown communication, Coma, Getting Together, He figures it out, M/M, Mentioned Ozai (Avatar), Oblivious Sokka (Avatar), Post-Canon, at some point, dont worry, tags will be added?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26694310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedao/pseuds/spacedao
Summary: He let out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm down, hands covering his face for a moment before he slowly looked up. Aang looked like he was on the verge of tears and spirits, Sokka always forgot how young he truly was. It was so easy to view the grey eyed bender to be on par with himself - in age and intellect - but the hard truth was that Aang was just a kid. And so was Toph, he realised as he turned to the blind warrior. He expected her to look furious or even sad, so the look of sad understanding on her face threw him off. "What?""Oh, Snoozles.." she breathed, dropping the earth around his feet as she tipped her head to one side. "You love him, don't you?"
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 312





	(I don't wanna be your friend) I wanna kiss your lips

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this an unbeta'ed mess that happened when I was SUPPOSED to be working on Chapter 2 of Beneath the Waves,,
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> (Title from "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend" by girl in red)

"Zuko, please wake up. Please.." Sokka breathed, blinking back tears as he clutched the firebender's limp hand in his. The water tribe warrior never thought he'd be here in his life, sitting in the Fire Lord's chambers and begging the spirits to heal him - but man, things could change quickly.

⧫⧫⧫

> _ ["Today, this war is finally over," Zuko began, his eye trailing over his new found friends with a soft smile before turning back to the crowd. "I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided." He paused and lifted a hand to gesture to Aang standing beside him, turning to look at the airbender and gesturing lightly to ask him to stand next to him. "But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace." _
> 
> _ He stepped back from the podium as the Fire Sages exited the palace, one holding the Fire Lord diadem in his hand. Zuko took a deep breath and knelt down, bowing his head as they approached. He can hear his heart pounding in his ear as the slight pressure of the diadem being placed into his top knot makes itself known, followed by the retreating footsteps as he stood once again. "All hail, Fire Lord Zuko!" the sages called, waving a hand towards the teen as he lifted his hand. A loud roar of cheers met him and he smiled, heart seeming to pound even faster the longer he stood there. The feeling made him dizzy but he swallowed and ignored it, turning to hold a hand out to Aang and pull him forward. _
> 
> _ "All hail the Avatar!" he called, blinking away spots in his eyes as he dipped his head to his friend. He took a step back as the crowd cheered for the airbender, smile dropping as the world seemed to spin and darken before he collapsed - barely aware of the panicked screams filling the air as his surroundings faded away.] _

⧫⧫⧫

Four weeks ago, the newly crowned Zuko had collapsed in front of the entire world just moments after receiving his title. Katara (and a team of Northern Water Tribe healers) had determined it was delayed heart damage from Azula's lightning streak. Considering the organ was already unstable from Ozai's first attack, Katara had no idea how long it would take Zuko to heal and Sokka hadn't left the firebender's side since they brought him to his chambers, only letting go of the man when his sister came to start a new session.

He lifted his head at the sound of the inner doors opening and drew a hand over his eyes before turning to see Aang watching him from the doorway. "Hey, Aang," he breathed, his voice rough from disuse and betraying exactly how tired he was. The airbender frowned and walked over to Sokka slowly, grey eyes on Zuko for a long moment before speaking.

"Sokka, you need to eat," he began, making Sokka roll his eyes in slight annoyance. Every member of the gaang had been doing the same spiel for weeks and he was tired of it - why was it so hard for them to understand that someone had to watch over Zuko until he woke up and as the oldest member of the group, it was his responsibility. "And rest. This isn't healthy."

"I'm  _ fine _ , Aang," he growled out, turning away from the teenager and fiddling with the thin covers of Zuko's bed. He  _ did _ sleep and eat - just today (or was that yesterday?), he'd had a few sea prunes and let his eyes close during a few healing sessions. Aang sighed, turning back to the chamber doors and calling for the one person Sokka really did not want to see at that moment.

"Come on, Snoozles. You need to rest," Toph insisted, crossing her arms and frowning as she stood behind Aang with her eyes on him in that unnervingly accurate way of hers. "It's not like Sparky is going anywhere."

" _ Toph _ !"

"What? I'm right?" she insisted, turning to Aang with wide eyes as she flung her arms out to the side before crossing them again. One foot shifted slightly closer to Zuko's bed and she sighed, "We all know he's not going to wake up until his heart heals and who knows how long that's going to take. Sokka should get some rest  _ and _ some food until then."

Sokka half turned in his chair and placed a hand on his heart with a falsely touched look, "Aw, Toph, you do care. I'm touched." He normally wouldn't be so snarky with the young earthbender but he was  _ exhausted _ and losing a grip on his filter. She scowled at him and lifted a hand, the earth below them following the motion and coiling around Sokka's legs.

"I don't even have to read your heartbeat to know that was a lie, Sokka," she retorted, moving the man into a standing position and turning the warrior to face them against his will. Sokka's heart stuttered slightly as Zuko left his line of sight and he quickly looked over his shoulder to reassure himself that the firebender had, in fact, not moved and was still breathing. "I'm choosing not to take it personally right now because I know you're exhausted and worried about Zuko."

"We're all worried about Zuko," Aang agreed, fidgeting with the air charm at the end of his necklace. His eyes hadn't left his friend's form since he'd entered the room but they now slid to Sokka as he stepped forward and let a hand rest on the older man's shoulder. "But we still need to go about our daily lives. Zuko would want us to."

"You don't know that! You don't!" Sokka insisted, turning to face his two friends with a desperate expression. He didn't get how they could be so calm and wise about this - it wasn't  _ fair _ . "None of you even seem to care about Zuko like I do! You don't  _ get _ it! I-I need him to wake up - for the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation needs him as a leader!"

He let out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm down, hands covering his face for a moment before he slowly looked up. Aang looked like he was on the verge of tears and spirits, Sokka always forgot how young he truly was. It was so easy to view the grey eyed bender to be on par with himself - in age and intellect - but the hard truth was that Aang was just a kid. And so was Toph, he realised as he turned to the blind warrior. He expected her to look furious or even sad, so the look of sad understanding on her face threw him off. "What?"

"Oh, Snoozles.." she breathed, dropping the earth around his feet as she tipped her head to one side. "You love him, don't you?"

Sokka tensed at the question, his eyes widening at the earthbender as he shook his head - remembering she couldn't see a moment later. "No, of course not," he scoffed, crossing his arms and taking a step back as he rejected the statement almost immediately. "I love -  _ like _ \- him just like you do, as a friend!"

Toph lifted one eyebrow in disbelief and he turned to Aang for support, only to realise he was being watched with a thoughtful expression. "Oh, come on, guys! He's a jerkbender with swords and a terrible sleep schedule who I spar with sometimes but none of that makes us anything more than friends!" Sokka continued, trying to defend himself. The bending duo in front of him stayed silent and he groaned, tipping his head back and rubbing his eyes with his fist. " _ Fine _ , think what you want. I'll go take a break like you all desperately want me to take as long as someone is here with him. He hates being alone."

Aang stepped forward as if to say something but closed his mouth with a pained yelp when Toph pinched him sharply, shaking her head and stepping to the side to let Sokka pass. "I'll stay with Sparky, don't worry," she said, shifting into a sitting position as the floor lifted to meet her. "Promise I'll come get you if his heart beat changes."

"Thank you," he breathed, swaying on his feet briefly now that he'd given up a bit of responsibility - prompting every neglected part of his body to protest at the same time. "Shit.."

He steadied himself on the wall and slowly made his way to the outer chamber, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off a forming headache. The smell of cooking food hit his nose and his stomach immediately rumbled as he sat heavily in the nearest chair - yeah, the sea prunes were definitely yesterday - before looking up to see Katara and Suki staring at him with identical expressions.

"So he lives," his sister hummed calmly, breaking the silence first as she turned back to the pot. She didn't say anything more, only picking up three bowls and bending food into each - giving Sokka more than herself and Suki - and setting it in front of him with a sharp clink. "Eat."

"Nice to see you, too," he snorted, picking up the spoon and stirring the soup clockwise with a slight frown as he stared at the door of Zuko's bedroom. He couldn't stop thinking about what Toph had said in there, asking if he was in  _ love _ with Zuko. Sure, he was really close to the guy and yeah, Zuko had shared some deep secrets with him in the odd hours of the night but they were  _ friends _ and nothing more.

Sokka let out a long sigh, running a hand over his face once more before starting to eat with an absent - but appreciative - hum at the flavour and heat filling his stomach. He was far too young to be having a crisis of any kind, especially this one that didn't deserve a label because he absolutely was  _ not _ overthinking every interaction he'd ever had with the Fire Lord and wondering if they had deeper meanings.

⧫⧫⧫

> [ _ Sokka yawned as he crept towards the bathroom slowly, trying not to wake anyone up but the floorboards creaking under his feet with every step wasn't helping. As he walked past the kitchen, the faint sound of crying reached him and he paused - head tipping to the side as he took a manual headcount of everyone he'd passed on his way downstairs. Suki had been next to him with Toph's head tucked under her arm, while the earthbender's legs were attached to Aang and he was curled around Katara. He realised with a jolt that Zuko hadn't been on his mat in the corner and gently peered out at the deck to see that it was indeed the firebender sitting alone. _
> 
> _ He looked different like this, Yue's light outlining him just enough for Sokka to see the tears streaming down his burned cheek as he stared out at the sandy beach of Ember Island. He didn't look like the strong warrior who once chased them across the world, but instead like a sad and lonely little kid. Sokka knew Katara didn't trust him yet but there was no way he could just ignore him, stepping forward and approaching from Zuko's left. "Zuko?" _
> 
> _ The bender jumped sharply, hands darting up to wipe the tears from his face as he looked up at Sokka. "S-sorry," he breathed, voice in a strained whisper. "Did I wake you?" _
> 
> _ "No, I just.. had to pee," he muttered, pointing vaguely behind him before dropping his arms. Zuko looked down at his lap, picking at his fingers for a moment as a stray tear made its way down his face and prompted Sokka to keep talking - not wanting to leave the firebender alone. Whether it was because he was worried or because he simply didn't trust Zuko wasn't important at the moment as he stepped forward slightly. "Are you okay?" _
> 
> _ "Yeah, fine," he answered, far too quickly for Sokka's liking - an uncomfortable feeling forming in his chest and nestling in. It didn't escape his notice that Zuko had turned his body so that he was facing Sokka directly rather than having his left side exposed. "Just couldn't sleep. Sorry for disturbing you." _
> 
> _ "You didn't disturb me, dude, don't apologise," Sokka responded, shifting his feet awkwardly. He tilted his head up to face Yue, imagining the Northern Water Tribe princess smiling down on the two men before speaking again. "Mind if I sit?" _
> 
> _ "I - um, no," he answered, shifting back into his previous position but keeping his face in Sokka's direction as he pointed to his right side. "Just on my right? If you don't mind? I can't.. my left is, um.." he stuttered before trailing off as Sokka moved to his right without questioning it. "Oh.. thanks." _
> 
> _ "Yep," Sokka hummed, sitting down and letting one leg dangle off of the porch. The two sat in a comfortable silence (well, comfortable for Sokka, anyway), each in their own heads as they listened to the ocean crash gently against the shore. "So, Love Amongst the Dragons is your favourite play?" he asked softly, eyes on the sky as he shifted to lean back on his hands. Zuko didn't respond and he turned his head to see amber eyes staring at him curiously. "What?" _
> 
> _ "You.. you aren't going to call me weak? Or even ask why I was crying?" _
> 
> _ "Do you want to talk about it?" Sokka asked, lifting an eyebrow in tandem with his question before dropping it with Zuko's answering head shake. "Then, tell me about the play." _
> 
> _ A soft smile made its way onto the Prince's face and made Sokka's heart stutter gently as the firebender eagerly leapt into the story the Dragon Emperor who was cursed by a Dark Water Spirit to live in mortal form, his hands waving and eyes lighting up as he got deeper in his story. Zuko was just reaching the climax when they noticed the sun starting to peak above the mountains and he slowly came to a stop, looking at Sokka nervously - neither noticing that the water tribe man had shifted closer during the story, enthralled by Zuko's passion for theatre and soaking in the natural heat the man seem to emit. The firebender cleared his throat as he returned to picking at the edge of his fingers, unsure if the warrior had just been entertaining him for the night and panicking a little at the thought of Katara catching him with her brother until the creak of the porch made him look up again. _
> 
> _ "Tell me the rest tomorrow?" Sokka asked, pushing himself into a standing position and looking down at the bender. Zuko gave a single nod and Sokka grinned, extending a hand to pull him up. "Cool. Now, come on, jerkbender. Katara will kill us if we aren't there when she gets up."] _

⧫⧫⧫

His spoon scraping against the side of his bowl brought him out of his thoughts and he looked down in surprise, his stomach now comfortably full as he realised he'd finished his meal. Sokka set his bowl down on the table and stood up, pleased to notice that his head was no longer on the brink of exploding and the world didn't blur when he stood - meaning he was ready to take over Toph's shift of Zuko duty.

Or he  _ would _ be, if he hadn't suddenly gone limp and dropped into Mai's waiting arms. He tilted his head back to stare at the monotone girl with a scowl, spotting Ty Lee just behind her in full Kyoshi paint - barely recognisable if not for the long ponytail swaying above her head. "Oh, come on! What now?" he whined, absently wondering when in the world the two girls had arrived and what this had to do with him. "I ate like you all wanted me to!"

"Yep, and now you need to sleep!"

"I'm not even tired," he protested as he was bodily lifted up and away from Zuko's chambers and into a nearby spare room before being dropped onto the bed. His limbs were tingling heavily and Sokka remembered exactly how he hated being chi-blocked.

"Close your eyes, Sokka, and we'll see just how not tired you are." His head was facing the wall and he couldn't tell who spoke after Ty Lee but it  _ sounded _ like Suki and he rolled his eyes in annoyance, grinding his teeth slightly. Was the entire "Warriors Against the Loser Lord" group against him on this?

"Fine! I'll humor you but as soon as I regain feeling in my body, I'm going back to Zuko!" he shouted at the closing door before making himself relax and letting his eyes close - promptly passing out in a matter of five minutes. His dreams were a messy whirlwind of memories (and if they were all related to the comatose Fire Lord, no they weren't ❤️): Zuko moving through fire katas at sunset, muscles rippling steadily under his sweat-slicked skin as the man moved through the forms; Zuko training with his dao swords, the sound of metal striking wood ringing in Sokka's ears; an entire compilation of the Fire Lord simply smiling, whether it was at Sokka or something else.

***

The warrior woke up with a gasp, heart pounding as he sat up and looked around in an attempt to gather his bearings. The room was dark and while he felt rested and back to full Sokka Strength, it felt like he'd only been asleep for a few hours at the most, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes - the last threads of his dreams fading away as he did so.

Sokka swung his feet onto the floor and pushed himself up, looking down and frowning slightly when he realised someone had changed his clothes while he was asleep. Admittedly, he'd been wearing the same outfit for a little over a week but no one had ever changed him since he was a baby. The more important question was  _ who _ had changed him and  _ where _ his old clothes had gone - information he planned to find out once he got back to Zuko.

With a crack of his spine, Sokka reached for the doorknob - only to jump backwards in surprise when the door slammed open, a wide eyed Toph standing in the open space. "Oh, good, you're awake!" the tiny Earthbender exclaimed, reaching forward and grabbing Sokka's hand to tug him forward. "Zuko is having some kind of panic attack and  _ nothing _ is calming him down."

Inwardly, panic took a firm grip of his lungs and made it difficult for him to breath but outwardly: he knew exactly how to help the firebender and that kept the fear from showing on his face. "Take me to him," he responded (a little unnecessarily as Toph was already tugging him down the halls) before clearing his throat in an attempt to prep his voice for the strain he was about to put it under.

"Katara said Sparky started showing more signs of improvement yesterday but then started freaking out last night," Toph explained as they moved through the palace. "Even started firebending in his sleep and nearly set his bed on fire!"

"Yesterday? But I was with him yesterday?" Sokka asked, his voice confused as he _ knew _ he'd only been asleep for a few hours - he couldn't have possibly been that tired. "Wouldn't I have noticed him moving?"

"Snoozles, you slept for an entire day - nearly two, actually."

" _ What _ ?!"

Toph stopped with her hand on Zuko's door and turned to face Sokka, one eyebrow quirked up in concern. "What? We weren't going to wake up, Sokka, you needed the rest."

Logically, he knew she was right but that didn't make him any less upset. Sokka didn't respond and slipped past the blind bender, rushing to Zuko's side and taking his hand. The Fire Lord was covered in sweat and was trembling slightly, face screwed up as if in pain as he pressed his scarred side into the pillow - an action that Sokka unfortunately knew meant he was dreaming about the terrible day he'd received it.

Sokka sat on edge of the bed and brushed Zuko's bangs away from his face with one hand while using the other to bring the man's hand to his chest, letting him feel his heartbeat before taking a deep breath and singing. It had been a long time since Sokka had sung in his native language and his voice certainly wasn't the best in the world, but the boys had discovered that it was an effective way to pull Zuko out of his flashbacks and back to the present. Something about his brain trying to figure out what Sokka was saying and shifting focus to the warrior rather than the past - or at least, that's what Uncle Iroh had said when they asked.

He wasn't really paying attention to the words that were flowing from his lips, only knowing that they were from the heart and that they were working. Zuko stopped trembling and his face relaxed slightly, fingers twitching in Sokka's grasp and making him smile softly. As Sokka let out the final note and let the song come to an end, the sound of soft and barely there gasps alerted him to the presence of other people in the room and he whirled around to see the entire group staring at him with wide eyes.

"Oh.. I, um.. I don't know you were all in here," he swallowed, eyes flickering from face to face while his own felt like it was on fire as he fidgeted on the bed. No one said anything for a long moment and Sokka grew more and more uncomfortable - before now: only Gran Gran, Uncle Iroh and Zuko had heard him sing. Anxiety was making his stomach roll and he cleared his throat awkwardly, the sound spurring everyone out of their shock.

Katara was the first to move and it was simply to cover her mouth with one hand, having a hard time processing what had just happened and Sokka realised with a jolt that she was most likely the only one in the room who knew what he was singing (thankfully, it wasn't anything embarrassing like an absent minded declaration of love.. right?). "Sokka," she started, stepping forward with a hand outstretched before getting interrupted by a much raspier voice saying his name.

Every eye in the room locked onto the previously comatose and now very confused Fire Lord who was cracking open his eyes slowly, squinting in the light. "Sokka.. what's going on?" he asked, coughing slightly in an attempt to get his voice working again. "Why is everyone in my room?"

"You're awake," Sokka breathed, relief flooding through him as eyes made of a setting sun met his (okay, maybe he was a LITTLE bit in love with his best friend) and robbing the warrior of any common sense or impulse control as he leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Zuko's lips before pulling away. He smiled gently, the peace only lasting for a moment before he was filled with panic.

"Oh, fuck.. Zuko, I'm so sorry!" Sokka babbled quickly, jerking backwards in an attempt to escape. He didn't get very far before he was stopped, looking down to see that the hand resting on his chest had tightened and formed a tight fist in his shirt, tugging sharply and pressing Sokka right back against Zuko's lips - the Fire Lord hummed softly, deepening the kiss easily before pulling away.

"Sokka, you idiot," he breathed with a tiny smirk. "I've been in love with you since you threw a boomerang at my head. Was just waiting for you to notice."

"Oh.. good thing you're patient. It's an attractive quality in a nation leader."

"Sure is," Zuko agreed, flicking his eyes to the group and waving them away with a silent promise to talk later. "Now, shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, your majesty."

**Author's Note:**

> Afterwards  
> Zuko: So, how long was I out?  
> Sokka: Four weeks, give or take.  
> Zuko, panicking: What?!  
> Sokka: Zuko, Fire Lord or not, if you stress out your heart again: I'm making Katara fix you and then killing you myself


End file.
